Vehicle contents inventory system

ABSTRACT

A vehicle may include a passive entry system having a controller and at least one antenna within the vehicle. The controller is operably arranged with the at least one antenna, and configured to cause, in response to a trigger event, the at least one antenna to transmit at least one challenge, receive a response to the challenge indicative of a tag in a vicinity of the vehicle, and identify an item based on the tag.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a vehicle contents inventory system.

BACKGROUND

In order to reduce loss and increase efficiency, businesses oftenattempt to track their moveable inventory such as equipment, tools,etc., from vehicle to vehicle. That is, determining which tools arewithin a vehicle may ensure that the vehicle is properly equipped aswell as help prevent loss and increase accountability of the responsibleperson. Families, sport coaches, and self-employed individuals may alsotrack their belongings to improve the quality of their daily activities.

SUMMARY

A vehicle may include a passive entry system configured to unlock thevehicle upon authenticating a fob in a vicinity of the vehicle andincluding at least one antenna within the vehicle, and a controlleroperably arranged with the at least one antenna and configured to cause,in response to a trigger event, the at least one antenna to transmit atleast one challenge at a frequency less than 150 kHz, receive a responseto the challenge indicative of a tag in the vicinity of the vehicle, andidentify an item based on the tag.

A vehicle may include a passive entry system configured to unlock thevehicle upon authenticating a fob in a vicinity of the vehicle andincluding a first antenna configured to transmit challenges at afrequency less than 150 kHz, a second antenna configured to receiveresponses at a frequency greater than 200 MHz, and a controller operablyarranged with the first and second antennas and configured to cause thefirst antenna to transmit a challenge and to receive a response having afrequency of at least 200 MHz indicative of a tag in the vicinity of avehicle.

A vehicle may include a passive entry system configured to unlock thevehicle upon authenticating a fob in a vicinity of the vehicle,transmit, in response to a trigger event, at least one challenge signalhaving a frequency less than 150 kHz, receive a response signal to thechallenge signal indicative of a tag in a vicinity of the vehicle, andidentify an item associated with the tag based on the response.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a vehicle inventory system;

FIG. 2 is a schematic for an onboard vehicle system;

FIGS. 3A and 3B show a vehicle having a plurality of antennas;

FIGS. 4A through 4C show vehicle zones created by the antennas of FIGS.3A and 3B;

FIG. 5 is a diagram for various rules associated with drivers, routesand locations;

FIGS. 6A through 6D are display interfaces for managing vehicleinventory;

FIG. 7 is a process flow for applying rules of the inventory system;

FIGS. 8A through 8C are display interfaces for managing rules of theinventory system.

FIG. 9 is a process flow for managing rules of the inventory system;

FIGS. 10A through 10E show diagrams depicting radio frequency protocolsfor transmitting low frequency challenges and receiving various highfrequency responses;

FIG. 11 shows intervals for challenging key fobs and receiving highfrequency responses for the inventory system;

FIGS. 12A through 12M show tag configurations; and

FIGS. 13A through 13B show additional tag configurations.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Described herein is a vehicle inventory system for tracking items withina vehicle or attached to exterior surfaces and cargo holders of avehicle. By transmitting low frequency challenges from one or moreantennas within the vehicle, a passive or active radio frequencyidentification tag may respond with a high frequency response,identifying the tag and thus indicating that the item associated withthe tag is present in the vehicle or attached to exterior surfaces andcargo holders within range of the low frequency antennas. The componentsof existing passive entry/passive start (PEPS) systems may be used tofacilitate this inventory system and no undue aftermarket solutions maybe necessary to effectively track tagged items. Moreover, additionalequipment may be added on an aftermarket basis (e.g., adding anadditional antenna to the roof.)

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary vehicle inventory system 100 including avehicle 105, a system server 110, and a user device 115. Not shown inFIG. 1, but discussed with respect to FIG. 2 is a plurality of firstvehicle antennas 170, a second vehicle antenna 145, and item tag 175.The item tag 175 is a device associated with an item, usually attachedthereto, that includes a transponder capable of receiving low frequencychallenges from the antennas 170. The tag 175 may be configured toreturn a high frequency response identifying the tag via a radiofrequency identification (RFID), which may be received by second antenna145. In some close proximity situations (e.g., less than a few inches),the antennas 170 may be used to send low frequency challenges to theradio identification (RFID) and the tag may respond back with a lowfrequency response to the same antennas 170 which would be acting as atransceiver antenna. This is typically done when the tag has lostbattery power. The system 100 may use the response to identify theobject and thus track the inventory of a vehicle 105.

The vehicle 105 may include a vehicle module 120 configured tocommunicate with the system management server 110 via a cellular network130. The system management server 110 may also communicate with the userdevice 115 via the cellular network 130 and/or another wireless network135, such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Local Area Network (LAN), etc.

The vehicle 105 may be any type of vehicle. It may be a motor vehicle,as indicated by way of example in the figures. It may be another type ofmobile machine configured to carry passengers such as a bus, motorcycle,train, ship, boat or aircraft. It may also be a cargo or storagecontainer. The vehicle 105 may be capable of carrying certain items suchas personal items, machinery, tools, medical equipment, etc. The itemsmay be associated with a passive tag configured to transmit a radiofrequency identification (RFID) to the vehicle antenna 145, as discussedbelow with respect to FIGS. 2 and 3. As shown in FIG. 1, multiplevehicles 105-1, 105-2, 105-n may enable item tracking. These vehiclesmay all be associated with one another via a relationship such as afamilial relationship, employer relationship, travel caravan or convoy,etc.

The vehicle module 120 may be a module within the vehicle 105 and may beconfigured to receive signals from various antennas 145, 170 within thevehicle 105 (as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B.) These signals may identifythe tags present within or near the vehicle 105 so as to track the itemsassociated with the tags. The vehicle module 120 is described in moredetail below with respect to FIG. 2.

The system management server 110 may be a server configured tofacilitate communication between the authorized user devices 115 and themodule 120. The server 110 may be an automated call server facilitatinga web host to perform the communication between the vehicle 105 and theauthorized user device 115. In one example, the module 120 maycommunicate with the server 110 via the cellular network 130. The module120 may transmit a message indicating that certain items are locatedwithin the vehicle 105, as recognized by the antennas 145, 170. Thesystem management server 110 may authenticate the vehicle 105 byrecognizing a vehicle identification number transmitted with themessage.

The module 120 may instruct at least one antenna 170 (as shown in FIG.3) to transmit a low frequency challenge. A tag 175 may be adhered orattached to an item within the vehicle. This tag 175 may be a specialtag made just for tracking and/or it may be the factory standard vehiclekey fob having passive entry/passive start (PEPS) capabilities. The tag175 may also be part of systems known as Keyless Access System, AdvanceKey, Comfort Access, Enter-N-G™, Intelligent Access, Smart Entry,SmartKeys, Intelligent Key®, SmartPass, Kessy, for example. Exemplaryconfigurations of the tag 175 are shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 and discussedbelow. The tag 175 may communicate with the vehicle 105 via lowfrequency and/or ultra high frequency communication protocols, includingchallenges and responses, between the tag 175 and the vehicle module120. The tag 175 may include a transponder configured to operate as aradio-frequency identification (RFID) tag used to identify the tag 175,and thus, identify the item. That is, when the antennas 145, 170 receivean ultra high frequency response from a tag 175, the module 120 maydetermine that the item associated with that tag 175 is within or nearthe vehicle 105. The module 120 may then transmit a message to theserver 110 to facilitate inventory tracking with other vehicles withinthe authorized user system. The tag 175 may be a passive tag, keepingcosts to a minimum, or it may be an active tag. Further, the tag 175,being of the same form as common PEPS tags used today, may be consideredsafe for use in the passenger compartment of a vehicle 105. That is, itis safe for humans and animals to be in close proximity to thetransmitter antennas 170 and the ultra high frequency transmitted by thetags. For exemplary purposes only, low frequency challenges may betransmitted below 200 kHz and may be transmitted at frequencies of 20kHz, 125 kHz, and 134.5 kHz, for example. The high frequency responsesmay be transmitted above 200 MHz and may be transmitted at frequenciesof 314 MHz, 433 MHz, 434 MHz, 868 MHz, and 903 MHz, for example.

Both tags 175 and a traditional key fob 160 may communicate with theantennas 145, 170. As stated, existing PEPS key fobs may be used as tags175. By using existing key fobs, additional costs are avoided becausebroad spectrum transmitters and receivers are not necessary. Costs arealso avoided because additional cabin antennas 145, 170 may not benecessary. Further, existing key fobs have power levels that are safefor passengers and other vehicle systems. Key fobs with a receivedsignal strength indicator (RSSI) capabilities may be used. When key fobsare used as tags 175, the key fobs may be designated as such within theinventory system 100. For example, while the first and second keys (keys#1 and #2) are used as traditional key fobs 160 to gain access or tostart a vehicle 105, the third and fourth dealer issued key fobs (keys#3 and #4) may be designated as inventory tags 175.

The tags 175, as explained, may be associated with various commercialitems such as tools, equipment, etc. The tags may also be associated orfactory equipped with personal items such as a briefcase, lunchbox, golfclubs, musical instruments etc. In addition to tagging individual items,bundles of items may also be tagged such as camping supplies, tools,groceries, etc. Tags 175 may also be grouped into certain categories.These categories may be user defined at a display interface at eitherthe vehicle module or the user device 115. The categories, as discussedbelow, may be employed by a user to quickly verify that all necessaryitems are within a vehicle 105 and those that should not be present areabsent. For example, if a user is traveling, the user may wish to verifythat all of that user's medical equipment is within the vehicle 105. Inthis example, tags 175 may be associated with each of the user's insulinkit, oxygen tank, prescription medication, wheelchair etc. Thesecategories are discussed in more detail below.

The server 110, in addition to authenticating the user devices 115 andfacilitating communication between user vehicles and vehicle modules120, may also maintain and store the data received from the vehiclemodules 120 in the database 140. That is, the server 110 may catalog themessage for later use. The messages may be maintained within the server110 or within database 140. The messages may indicate the presence of atag 175 associated with a vehicle. In one example, a tag 175 may beassociated with and attached to a gym bag. A message transmitted fromvehicle 105-1 to the server 110 may indicate that the tag 175 associatedwith the gym bag is within the vehicle 105. The server 110 may storethis information in the database 140. As described herein, thisinformation may then be used by the user device 115 to determine thelocation of the gym bag, e.g., which vehicle it is in.

The user device 115 may be a computing device capable of receivinginformation from the server 110 and/or the vehicle module 120. The userdevice 115 may be a mobile device such as a mobile phone, tabletcomputer, laptop computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), smartphone,etc. The user device 115 may also be a desktop computer. The user device115 may have a user interface configured to display information to theuser of the device 115. The interface may be an integrated graphicaluser interface (GUI). It may be a screen such as a liquid crystaldisplay (LCD), light emitting diode (LED) display, plasma screen, etc.The interface may also be a computer monitor or projector. The userinterface may be configured to display information, such as the presenceof certain items within a vehicle 105. Exemplary user interfaces areshown in FIGS. 6A-D and 8A-C and may include photos/icons of the items,etc.

The user device 115 may communicate with the server 110 via the wirelessnetwork 135. It may also communicate with the vehicle module 120 viacellular network 130, WiFi® or Bluetooth®. By communicating with theserver 110 and/or the module 120, the user device 115 may receiveinformation regarding items within a vehicle 105. The user device 115may be authenticated by the server 110 and/or recognized by the module120. The device 115 may be associated with more than one vehicle 105 andmay receive information about each vehicle's inventory (i.e. itemswithin or on a vehicle 105). This may be advantageous when a single useris managing a fleet of vehicles and would like to monitor the inventoryof each. Additionally, one or more user devices may be associated withthe same vehicle 105 or multiple vehicles 105. This may be advantageouswhen multiple users are using multiple vehicles such as in a largefamily or small business. In another example, a family member may wishto know which items, or which of a specific item, is located withinwhich vehicle 105. The user interface may display this information inseveral ways such as pictorial representations of the items, a list ofitems within each vehicle, etc. The module 120 and/or server 110 maypermit a user to manage inventory across multiple vehicles bycorrelating the information regarding the tags 175 across multiplevehicles 105. A user may be able to manage such information from his orher mobile device 115 or from within the center console/display of avehicle 105.

Networks 130 and 135 may be any type of wireless network such as Wi-Fi,Bluetooth, local area network (LAN), cellular networks, ad-hoc wirelessnetworks (e.g., Zigbee® or Z-Wave), etc. It may also include acombination of wired and wireless protocols. For exemplary purposesonly, network 130 is described herein as being a cellular network andnetwork 135 is described herein as being a wireless network such as aLAN or Wi-Fi network.

Referring to FIG. 2, an exemplary vehicle module 120 is shown. Thevehicle module 120 may include a function controller 150, a globalpositioning system (GPS) transceiver 155, a cellular transceiver 160 anddisplay controller 165. The function controller 150 may be a PEPscontroller in communication with the GPS transceiver 155, cellulartransceiver 160 and the display controller 165. It may also be incommunication with a vehicle antenna 145, 170. The antennas 145, 170 maycommunicate with the tag 175. While the second vehicle antenna 145 maybe described herein as an antenna for receiving ultra high frequencyresponses, and while the first antennas 170 may be described astransmitting low frequency challenges, both may transmit and receive andeach may be interchangeable. As explained, the tag 175 may have atransponder configured to receive low frequency challenges from theantennas 170. The antenna 145 may then receive a high frequency responsefrom the tag 175.

The GPS transceiver 155 may communicate with the function controller 150and a satellite to provide the function controller 150 with locationinformation. This location information may be used by the functioncontroller 150 to determine the location of the vehicle 105. The GPStransceiver 155 may also employ dead reckoning techniques whichdetermine vehicle location in the absence of the ability to see GPSsatellites. Dead reckoning may use vehicle gyro sensors typically usedby the crash system, to overlap vehicle movements on top of the lastknown GPS coordinates to make a surrogate map of the vehicles locationuntil sufficient satellites can be seen. This is typically required forregions with tunnels or very tall closely clustered buildings. In theabsence of valid GPS transceiver signals, the vehicle system controllermay use the cellular transceiver 160 to generate “Assisted GPS” data todetermine the vehicle location by triangulating off at least threecellular towers.

The cellular transceiver 160 may be a transceiver configured tocommunicate with the user device 115 as described above. The cellulartransceiver 160 may receive information from the function controller 150and transmit it to the user device 115. The cellular transceiver 160 mayalso receive requests from the user device 115. These requests mayinclude requests for information such as inventory information for thatspecific vehicle 105.

The display controller 165 may be configured to instruct a displaywithin the vehicle 105 to display information to the driver or otheroccupants via an interface. The display may display informationregarding the vehicle inventory. In one example, the display may listthe items located within the vehicle 105. In another example, thedisplay may alert the driver as to a missing item. For example, if thedriver is traveling to work, the driver may be alerted that his or herbrief case is not within the vehicle 105. The display may also showspecific routes and rules associated with those routes. For example, ifthe vehicle 105 is driving from home to the occupant's office, a rulemay be implemented to check the vehicle cabin for the occupant's briefcase. The display may also provide interfaces for user created rules.The interfaces within the vehicle 105 may be the same or similar to theinterfaces displayed on a user device 115. The interfaces are describedin more detail below with respect to FIGS. 6A-D and 8A-C.

FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B show exemplary locations for various vehicleantennas 170 within the vehicle 105. The antennas 170 are configured totransmit a low frequency challenge to the tags 175. The tags 175 maythen respond with a high frequency signal. The low frequency challengesto the tags may be transmitted based on a call for content or onconclusion of a PEPS ultra-high frequency response to the vehicle thatwas part of the access or ignition process and not related to a taginventory action. Standard functional PEPS low frequency challenges maybe initiated by keyless entry actions including human actions, such asapproaching the vehicle 105, touching the door handle, pushing theSTOP/START button, opening a door, etc. The vehicle inventory system 100may be configured to calculate when the PEPS response time to thischallenge has expired or should expire. Once this is determined, a taglow frequency challenge may be transmitted to allow a tag response thatdoes not overlap with the PEPS response. This is described in moredetail below with respect to FIGS. 10 and 11.

The antennas 170 may be located at several locations in and on thevehicle 105. As shown in FIG. 3, the antennas may be located in the doorhandles of the vehicle 105 (e.g., antennas 170-1.) Antennas may also belocated in or on the hood or front bumper of the vehicle 105 (e.g.,antenna 170-2), the rear of the vehicle (e.g., antenna 170-3), withinthe center console of the vehicle (e.g., antenna 170-4), and in the rearcabin of the vehicle 105 (e.g., antenna 170-5.) An additional antennamay be included at or near the top of the vehicle (e.g., antenna 145).This additional antenna 145 may be located on the roof of the vehicle105. Thus, up to seven (7) antennas 145, 170 may be included in thevehicle system 100 (six first antennas 170 and one second antenna 145),although more or less may be included. In one example, where a vehicleis not capable of carrying items on top of the vehicle 105, e.g., thevehicle 105 is a convertible with a soft top, the roof antenna 145 maynot be necessary. In another example, if a vehicle 105 is not capable ofpulling items behind it, e.g., the vehicle 105 does not have a hitch,the rear antenna 170-3 may not be necessary.

The vehicle antennas may each have a signal strength indicator (SSI)capable of determining the signal strength of a tag response. More thanone antenna may receive the tag response and each antenna may use thesignal strength of the tag response to determine the location of the tag175. That is, the higher the signal strength measured by the tag for aspecific antenna, the closer the tag 175 is to that antenna 170. Thismethod may be used to determine whether an item is within the vehicle105 or outside of the vehicle. For example, if an antenna 170-1 on thedoor handle detects a very high signal strength, but all other antennaseither do not receive a tag response, or the signal strength of theresponse is very low, it may be determined that the item is outside ofthe vehicle near antenna 170-1. Based on the rules applied by thecontroller 150 and as described herein, the system 100 may issue analert to allow a user to realize that the item is not within the vehicle105.

Referring to FIGS. 4A-4C, each antenna 170 may create a low frequencyzone 180 around the vehicle 105. The zones 180, created by each of theantennas 170, may have a radius of approximately 1-3 meters from therespective antenna 170. As shown in the figures, the zones 180 may havea circular or oval shape. When a tag 175 enters a zone, the tag'stransceiver may detect the challenge transmitted by the respectiveantenna 170 and may respond back with a designated high frequencyresponse. Each of the zones 180 may detect tags 175 on items within, on,below, or around the vehicle 105. The high frequency response may bereceived by the function controller 150 and transmitted to the server110. Usages for monitoring tags below the vehicle may include a tirewith a tag secured to the underside of the trunk or rear zone of thevehicle, or a tag embedded in the pavement used to ensure a vehicle hasreturned to a proper parking spot (such as a rental fleet) since GPSresolution is not adequate nor available in many parking structures.Other potential uses for detecting a tag under the vehicle may be tovalidate that a moving vehicle that is off is being transported by anauthorized method such as a factory vehicle carrier truck and not atow-truck. There are many other potential uses.

As explained briefly above and illustrated in the Figures, the inventorysystem 100 may include various rules to help the driver and/or occupantsfrom forgetting various items. The rules may also help ensure thatinappropriate items (e.g., firearms) are not in the vehicle 105 atcertain locations or while certain persons are in the vehicle 105 (e.g.,persons not authorized to carry firearms.) The rules may be user definedin that the driver, occupant, or other users may create the rules inorder to facilitate a better user experience with the system 100. In oneexample, a parent may create a rule such that the inventory system 100checks that every child has his or her backpack on the way to and fromschool every day. The parent may instruct the system 100 to alert thedriver and occupants if the system 100 determines that a backpack ismissing or if the backpack remains after the vehicle has passed orstopped and left the location of the school. A business owner may createa rule that each vehicle 105 should be loaded with appropriate equipmentbefore leaving for a certain job site and may check for the sameequipment upon the vehicle's return to help prevent equipment loss. Ifthe equipment is not in the truck that departed with the tagged items,it could then use the server 110 and cloud database 140 to determine ifone of the other vehicles in the user group retrieved the tagged item(s)and would be returning the item on behalf of the person who tagged outthe item. This ability to look across a group of vehicles for an itemtagged by any vehicle may be a useful tool to businesses and/or sportteams by avoiding an unnecessary trip by the vehicle that checked-outthe item to return and search for the item.

These rules may be established by a user via the interface, either atthe user device 115 and/or vehicle 105. As explained, the server 110 maycommunicate with the user device 115 and the vehicle module 120 to allowfor the system 100 to be managed at several locations, including severalvehicles 105 and user devices 115. An exemplary interface is describedbelow with respect to FIGS. 6A-6D but may include graphics associatedwith various items, maps, lists, etc.

Such rules may also be included in the system 100 as default rules. Inone example, certain geographical areas may not permit certain items.For example, school campuses may not permit firearms. The GPStransceiver 155 and the vehicle module 120 may determine that thevehicle is approaching an area that does not permit firearms. Thefunction controller 150 may cause the antenna 170 to emit a lowfrequency challenge signal. If a high frequency response is received andindicative of an unpermitted item, the controller 150 may instruct theinterface to warn the occupants of the vehicle 105. The interface maydisplay a warning screen, may emit an audible warning. Additionally oralternatively, the occupants' user device 115 may also provide thewarning.

FIG. 5 shows an exemplary map with exemplary rules associated withvarious drivers and landmarks. That is, the system 100 may maintaindriver specific rules, environment specific rules and object specificrules. In one example, each driver may be associated with rulesoutlining a list of items that should be within the vehicle 105, as wellas items that should not be within the vehicle. Such rules may bemaintained at either the controller 150 of the vehicle module 120, theserver 110, and/or the user device 115. A specific driver may beidentified by a key fob 160 associated with the driver, or by their cellphone, or even via biometric means if the vehicle is equipped with suchsystems (e.g., fingerprint reader, facial recognition, etc.). In thecase of the key fob, each driver may have a specific key fob 160typically used by that driver. Upon using the key fob 160 to unlock orgain access to the vehicle 105, the controller 150 may recognize the keyfob 160 and retrieve a list associated with that key fob 160. Forexample, if a first key fob is associated with driver A and is detectedby the controller 150, a first list associated with the first key fob160 may be retrieved. The antenna 170 may then transmit a low frequencytag challenge and receive one or more high frequency tag responses fromone more item tags 175. These responses may indicate the items that arewithin the vehicle 105. These identified items may be compared with theretrieved list to ensure that all required items are within the vehicle105, and that no forbidden items are also within the vehicle. Inaddition to using responses from key fobs 160 to identify drivers,drivers may also be identified by other mechanisms. In one example, ausername/password may be inputted at the interface.

In the example shown in FIG. 5, driver A may be associated with a listrequiring that the driver's medications such as insulin and otherprescription medications are present within the vehicle 105. However,driver A may not be authorized or hold the appropriate permit to carry afirearm. Thus, the system 100 will also verify that no firearms arewithin the vehicle 105. Driver B may not have a prescription for themedications that driver A usually carries. Thus, the system 100 mayverify that while driver B is the only driver in the vehicle 105, themedications are not present. However, driver B may be authorized tocarry a firearm, and therefore it is not a forbidden item when driver Bis in the vehicle 105. The rule associated with driver B may alsoinclude a list of required items, such as a purse.

Along with having driver specific rules, environment specific rules mayalso be implemented. Environment specific rules may relate toenvironmental factors such as the location of the vehicle 105 and theroute the vehicle 105 is traveling, the time of day, the weather andspecifically the temperature inside the vehicle 105, among others. Asshown by way of example in FIG. 5, certain rules may be applied tospecific routes. For example, on the route from home to school, the rulemay require that a backpack, lunch and briefcase be located within thecar. However, after an occupant is dropped off at school, the system 100may take inventory to ensure that the backpack and lunch are not withinthe vehicle 105 to verify that the occupant did not forget to take theseitems with him or her. Thus, on the route from the school to an office,only a briefcase is located within the vehicle 105.

Moreover, a certain location may also have rules associated with it. Inthe example shown, a rule may ensure that no firearms or weapons arepresent in the vehicle 105 if the vehicle 105 is approaching a bordercrossing. Such locations, such as a border crossing, may haverestrictive laws associated with it. As a vehicle approaches the bordercrossing, or comes within a predefined radius or region of therestrictive location, the rules may be used to verify that forbiddenitems are not included in the vehicle. The customer may enter suchrestriction zones into their tag list or the system could be enhancedthe system 100 features by using the server 110 and database 140 tocollect such restriction zone on a national basis advise the customer ofsuch restriction zone as they approach.

Object specific rules may be established to ensure careful handling of aspecific item. In one example, the item may be a weapon or firearm.Because these items may be dangerous and may have certain legalramifications if possessed by an unauthorized person, the item itselfmay have specific rules associated with it. In another example, the itemmay be an expensive or important piece of equipment. The object specificrules may be used to track the equipment. In addition to locating theequipment for convenience, the equipment may also be tracked forpurposes of maintaining information about the equipment. For example,the object specific rule associated with a piece of equipment mayinclude tracking the equipment's whereabouts at predefined intervals. Bytracking the vehicle's location, as indicated using the GPS transceiver155, a business owner may determine how often a certain item is in use.In a specific example, a trailer may be tracked and based on the variouslocation data gathered by the inventory system 100, the approximatemileage covered by the trailer may be estimated. Further, the system maylog that the trailer was used on a weekend or late night which may be anunauthorized usage scenario.

Items may also be tracked for other statistics such as road hours, agein calendar time, vehicle mating characteristics, maintenance schedules,replacement parts, shelf life of other items such as emergency fuel,food, medication, etc. These statistics may be tracked specific to theitem regardless of which vehicle 105 within a fleet it has beenassociated with. This may allow family members and business owners toeasily maintain records about the use of certain items without unduecalculations across multiple vehicles 105-1, 105-2, 105-n.

As explained above, categories may be created by the users to helporganize the tags 175 associated with the items. These categories mayrelate to personal items, professional items, business equipment, etc. Amedical category is described above. Other exemplary categories aresports equipment, camping equipment, daily items (e.g., items takendaily to work, school, etc.), hunting equipment, travel items,commercial and retail inventory (e.g., nightly drop money bag, travelingnurse kit, promotional items for independent sales, pizza deliveries,etc.), law enforcement equipment (e.g., firearms, protective vest,radio, etc.), and baby/children's gear (e.g., stroller, diaper bag,toys, etc.). These categories may be recalled at any time to edit therules for the category, to take inventory based on the category, etc.

FIGS. 6A-6D show exemplary interfaces for showing various routes andrules and lists associated therewith. These interfaces may be visible toa user within the vehicle 105 at a vehicle console. The interface mayalso be viewed at the user device 115. The rules and lists associatedwith each route may be defined and edited by the user. The routes may beuser defined by selecting two endpoints or points of interest anddefining the route as there between. The route may also be a learnedroute. The controller 150 and/or server 110 may use data stored in thedatabase 140 to determine which routes are most often traveled, at whattime of the day the routes are traveled and what items are present inthe vehicle 105 during the route. A rule may be automatically createdbased on the aggregation of this information from the database 140.

The system may also be configured to function with no specific routesbut just by geofence zones. This could also include rules based on timeand/or days of the week. For example, when leaving the home on weekdaysbefore 8 am, the vehicle shall always have content list #1 which mayinclude the user's briefcase and diaper bag. Or, in the absence of aroute, entering the zone of a school, airport, military base or otherrestricted zone would initiate a search for tagged items and initiate analert if a firearm was detected. FIG. 6A shows a series of exemplaryroutes including a route from home to school, from school to daycare,from daycare to the office and from the office to home. Each route mayhave rules associated with it. The rules and/or lists may be representedby an icon 190. When selected (e.g., clicked on using a computer mouse,touched via a touch screen, etc.) the rule for the selected route may bevisible as shown in FIG. 6B. The rules may include a list or multiplelists listing required and/or forbidden items. For example, the routefrom home to school may include book bags and lunches for the childrenbeing dropped off at school, a diaper bag for a baby being dropped offat daycare, and a briefcase for the driver/parent. At each stop alongthe route, rules may be applied in order to ensure that items are notleft in the vehicle 105. That is, when the vehicle departs a point ofinterest, the system 100 may check that a critical item is not left inthe vehicle 105. For example, a child's lunchbox and book bag shouldnever be in the vehicle 105 on the route from school to daycare.

FIG. 6B shows an exemplary rule for the route from school to daycare.The rule should include a ‘Never List’ and an ‘Always list.’ The neverlist may include items, such as the lunch box and book bag, that shouldnever be within the car after school drop-off. However, other items,such as the briefcase, insulin and diaper bag should. Upon realizingthat a rule has been violated, an alert may be realized by the vehicleoccupants. This alert may be, for example, a visual warning on theinterface that a ‘Never’ item is present. In this example, the alert mayindicate “Route ‘Never’ Violation: Tim's backpack present.” Other formsof alerts may include audio alerts, tactile alerts (e.g., user device115 may vibrate), etc. Additionally or alternatively, a route may changecolors indicating that a rule has been violated. For example, the dottedline at the route from the school to daycare may turn red, indicatingthat there is a problem with the current inventory. A user may thenselect the icon 190 to see which rule has been violated.

FIG. 6C shows an exemplary interface highlighting the current locationalong a series of routes. In this example, the school is highlightedindicating the current location of the vehicle. The vehicle functioncontroller 150 may receive location information from the GPS transceiver155 and use this information to determine the current location of thevehicle 105. FIG. 6D shows an exemplary interface highlighting thecurrent route along the series of routes. A vehicle icon may also bedisplayed on or along the route (see FIG. 6C). The interface may beupdated to show the continuing progress of the vehicle 105 as it movesalong the route. In addition to the routes, the rules may be visible byselecting the icon 190. The graphical interface may also show no routesbut rather just locations. If the user is not in any geofence zonearound the designated locations, no location would be highlighted. Ifthe vehicle did enter one of the designated geofence locations, theinterface would highlight the zone where the vehicle is located (e.g.,green if the content lists are satisfied and red if there is a violationrelative to the location contents list for the subject vehicle and/ordriver).

In addition to the routes and rules, the interface may also showpictorial icons associated with various objects. For example, if a tag175 is associated with a purse, and the tag 175 is detected by theantenna 170, then a purse icon may show up in the interface. The variousicons associated with the tags 175 may be established by the user whenthe rules are created or when items are associated with the tags 175.That is, when a user attached a tag 175 to an item, the user may use theinterface, either at the vehicle 105, server 110 or user device 115, toassociate an icon with the tag 175. The icon may represent the itemassociated with the tag 175 (e.g., an icon of a purse when the tag isattached to a purse.)

FIG. 7 shows an exemplary process 700 for applying the rules. Theprocess begins at block 705. At block 705 the system 100 may recognize arule event. A rule event may be any event that triggers the system 100to apply a rule. As shown by way of example only in FIG. 7, the ruleevent may be one of receiving a high frequency response identifying atag at 710, receiving an indication of an environmental event at block715 and/or receiving a query event at block 720.

At block 710, a high frequency response may be received from a tag 175within the vehicle 105. The tag 175 may be associated with a person oritem and may trigger driver specific rules and/or object specific rules.For example, the response may be received from a key fob 160 associatedwith a driver. In this example, the high frequency response may identifythe driver associated with the key fob 160. In another example, the tag175 may be associated with an item. The item may be a special item thatdeserves its own rules. In one example, the item may be a weapon orfirearm. Because these items may be dangerous and may have certain legalramifications if possessed by an unauthorized person, the item itselfmay have specific rules associated with it. For example, a firearmshould never be in a teen's car, etc. The high frequency responses maybe received be in response to a low frequency challenge emitted by theantenna 170. Such challenges may be initiated based on a passive entryactivity as described below.

At block 715, an environmental event may include certain environmentalfactors such as environmental factors including the location of thevehicle 105, the route the vehicle 105 is traveling, the time of day,the weather and specifically the temperature inside the vehicle, amongothers. Thus, when a specific environmental event occurs, a ruleassociated therewith may be triggered. For example, when the temperaturein a vehicle 105 reaches eighty degrees Fahrenheit, the system 100 mayrecognize this environmental event as a rule event. This event may betransmitted to the user device 115 for all users of the system or justpre-designated devices.

At block 720, a query event may be recognized as a rule event. In thisexample, a user may request a query of items within a vehicle 105.Additionally or alternatively, some event recognized by the vehicle 105may be a query event. This type of event may include a determinationthat a driver has entered the vehicle 105, opened the vehicle door,placed a key in the ignition, exited the vehicle 105, etc. Thus, theseevents may trigger a query by the inventory system 100. A query eventmay also be facilitated by periodic spot checks. That is, the system 100may perform queries throughout the day at periodic intervals.

Further, users may request a query by pressing an appropriate icon orbutton on the interface. The request may also be made from the userdevice 115. A user initiated query may be a general query where aninventory of all items is taken, or it may be an item specific querywhere a specific item is selected and searched for. In the latterexample, the selected item may be recalled in the database 140 to findits last known location. It may also be searched for among a fleet ofvehicles 105 to see if it is currently located within one of thevehicles 105. In one example, if a tag 175 is associated with a user'sbaseball glove, the user, using his or her user device 115, may selectthe glove and a query would be run to search each vehicle 105 for theglove. Each vehicle 105 in the fleet, which may be each vehicle 105owned by a family, may be instructed to transmit a low frequencychallenge via the antenna 170 within the vehicle 105. This command maybe transmitted by the server 110 and/or the user device 115.

Special query events may also occur that trigger the inventory system100 to check the vehicle contents. In one example, the inventory system100 may perform an inquiry when the vehicle security system has beentriggered.

Once a rule event is recognized, the controller 150 or server 110 mayreceive vehicle item data at block 725. This data may include a list ofitems within a specific vehicle 105 as determined by one or more highfrequency responses.

At block 730, the controller 150 or server 110 may receive at least onerule associated with the rule event. The rule may be retrieved from thedatabase 140 and may be associated therein with the rule event. Forexample, if the rule event is a physical location such as a bordercrossing, a rule or set of rules associated with the border crossing maybe retrieved. These rules may maintain that weapons are not permitted atthe border. In another example, if the rule event is a driver specificevent, a rule associated with the recognized driver may be retrieved,such as the rule for driver A, explained above with respect to FIG. 5.

At block 735, the controller 150 or server 110 may analyze the vehicleitem data in view of the at least one rule. That is, the rule may beapplied to the list of items within the vehicle 105. In one example, alist of forbidden items within the rule may be compared with the list ofitems within the vehicle 105. Similarly, required items as defined bythe rule may also be applied.

In some situations several rules may be applied. This may be the casewhen more than one occupant is recognized and more than one occupant hasrules associated therewith. It may also be the case when both anenvironmental rule event and a driver specific event are recognized.

At block 740, the controller 150 or server 110 may determine whether arule has been violated. By comparing the list of items within thevehicle 105 with the list of required and forbidden items, thecontroller 150 may determine whether an item is missing or whether anitem should not be in the vehicle 105. In some situations, more than onerule may be applied. For example, if driver A and driver B are both inthe vehicle 105, and while each rule associated with each driverincludes forbidden items (e.g., prescription medication and firearms),because these items are required items for one of the other occupants,no rule is violated. However, although driver B is authorized to carry afirearm, such firearm may still be forbidden based on an environmentalrule (e.g., border crossing.)

If it is determined that the rule has been violated, the processproceeds to block 745, if not the process ends.

At block 745, an alert may warn the occupants of a missing or forbiddenitem. As explained, this alert may include a visual, audio, or tactilealert. The alert may be realized by the vehicle occupants. The alert mayalso be transmitted directly via the vehicle telematics system to aremote location or other user device 115. For example, a list of missingitems determined after a security alarm has been triggered may betransmitted via email or SMS to a system administrator or directly to asecurity guard post or the local police. In another example, an alert ofa missing item may be transmitted to the server 110. The server 110 maythen query all other vehicle 105 in the fleet to determine if themissing item is located within one of them. Additionally, a text messagemay be transmitted to another user device 115. In this example, ifcertain family members are in one vehicle 105 that has just left anarea, such as a ball field, and other family members are still at thefield, the remaining family members may become aware, or can benotified, of the forgotten item and retrieve it. The process may thenend.

FIGS. 8A-C show exemplary interfaces for managing vehicle inventory. Asexplained, the inventory system 100 allows several vehicles 105 to bemonitored, both locally within a vehicle 105 and remotely at a server110 and/or user device 115. FIG. 8A is an exemplary interface for amanagement of a fleet of four (4) vehicles 105, each represented by avehicle icon. As shown, each vehicle 105 may be labeled by number.Additionally or alternatively, each vehicle 105 may be named. In afamilial fleet, a vehicle 105 may be associated with each driver's name,or other identifiers such as “mom's car.” In a business fleet, eachvehicle may be identified by its type or name. In one example, aconstruction fleet may have “bulldozer,” “dump truck,” etc. Each vehicle105 may be associated with a list icon 195. FIG. 8B shows an exemplaryinterface upon selection of the icon 195. In this example, selecting theicon may display a list of items currently within the vehicle 105associated with the selected icon. Other vehicle information may also bedisplayed, such as the vehicle location, speed, mileage, etc. By havingan interface that allows a user to view the inventory of variousvehicles 105, an efficient system for keeping track of inventory acrossa fleet of vehicles 105 is achieved.

FIG. 8C is an exemplary interface for editing and creating rules to beimplemented by the inventory system 100. FIG. 8C shows a rule creationscreen for creating rules along a specific route. This is exemplary, andrules may be created for various other events such as rules specific todrivers and environmental factors. In the example, along any route, arule may be created and may include zero, one, or more of required andproscribed/forbidden items as shown in the figures. The rules may becustomized in various ways. Various drop down menus may be available toselect different options. In one example, a vehicle drop down menu(e.g., the “at least one” menu) may allow a user to select from aplurality of options such as which vehicle 105 the item must be locatedin and what type of alert to issue if the rule is not complied for thedesignated vehicle 105. The alert option may include issuing an audiblewarning via the vehicle speakers, sending an SMS message to the driver'smobile device, restricting use of certain vehicle features (e.g., theaccelerometer, etc.) On the route from school to daycare, a diaper bagmay be required to be present in a specific vehicle 105. However,another route, such as an after work pickup at daycare, may require thatthe diaper bag be present in at least one vehicle 105 as opposed to aspecific vehicle 105. Additionally, “Add” buttons may be located in therule screen to add items to a ‘Never List’ or an ‘Always List.’

The options described above for creating and editing a rule may beimplemented using multiple interface screens. These screens may bedisplayed in an order that is based on a user selection. That is, ascreen may present the options to “Create a New Rule” or “Edit anExisting Rule.” The next screen may depend on which of these two optionswas selected.

These exemplary screen shots are simply examples of how a user maycustomize an inventory system to his or her needs. Although not shown,other interfaces may facilitate the editing and creation of rules. Achart listing various vehicles 105, the drivers associated therewith androutes typically taken by each vehicle 105 may be displayed via aninterface. Such a chart may allow a user to select items from drop downlists, click and drag items to the appropriate vehicle 105 and/orderiver, etc., to create a series of rules. Furthermore, the informationmaintained by the system 100 such as various item statistics may beviewable in as a chart or graph. The various interfaces, as explained,may be accessible via the user device 115, the vehicle display, and/orthe server 110. Additionally, the system may suggest some geofence zonesfor the lists based on observed driving routes, times, days, and otheridentifying patterns. For example, the system 100 would easily be ableto identify the home, school, or office based on repeated drive patternsover a one or two week period.

An exemplary process flow for creating and editing rules is shown inFIG. 9. FIG. 9 may present a user with the option to create a new rule,or edit an existing one. Upon selecting to create a new rule, a user mayselect what type of rule to create. As shown by way of example, a driverspecific rule, environmental rule or object specific rule may beselected. If a driver specific rule is selected, rules for an existingclient may be edited, or rules for new drivers may be created. Each rulemay list at least one item as a ‘never’ item or an ‘always’ item. Forenvironment specific rules, various types of rules may be selected. Asshown by way of example, a location, a route and a weather event may beselection for rule creation. Each of a location and route may beselected from a list of saved or existing locations. The currentlocation of the user or the vehicle 105 may also be used for rulecreation. In one example, if a user is at a baseball field for practice,he or she may create a rule based on his or her currently location andlist all items needed for baseball practice.

A rule may be created for a weather event as well. An example of aweather event may be the temperature falling below or exceeding acertain threshold. For example, a rule may be created to send a textmessage to a user device 115 if the cabin exceeds 80 degrees Fahrenheit,or is approaching freezing, and if a certain tag 175 is within thevehicle. In one example, if a perishable item is tagged, the user maywant to be warned if the heat or cold within the cabin could harm theitem.

An object specific rule may be created for certain items. In theexamples described herein, a firearm may have specific rules associatedwith it due to its dangerous nature. The object specific rules could becreated by creating a new item rule or selecting from existing items toedit the rules associated with that item. These existing items may beorganized by categories as described above. Each category may have arule associated with it, as well as the individual object within thecategory. The rules for each object may include restrictions as to aspecific user, location, event, etc. These restrictions may also dependon other factors such as who else is in the vehicle. In one example, afirearm may have a rule that it may only be in a vehicle 105 if a personregistered to carry the firearm is also in the vehicle 105. Thus, ifdriver A is alone in the vehicle 105, the firearm is a forbidden item.However, if driver B is with driver A in the vehicle 105, then thefirearm is a permitted item, but maybe not be a required item. However,the firearm may be a proscribed or forbidden item when approaching aborder crossing. Thus, in creating a rule for the firearm, at leastdriver B must be in the vehicle 105 with the firearm, but the firearmmust never be in the vehicle 105 at a location around a border crossing.

In creating a new object rule, a similar process may be followed. Thenew item may be categorized, or selected from a category. Specificlimitations or restrictions may be placed on the item, as describedherein. In editing an existing rule, similar processes may also befollowed. The rule may be selected from a list of rules. Drop downmenus, icons and other visual indicators may be used throughout theprocess to create a user friendly system of managing the rules, objects,drivers and vehicle 105 within the inventory system 100.

FIGS. 10A-E show exemplary diagrams depicting a radio frequencyprotocols for receiving various high frequency responses. FIG. 11 showsexemplary intervals for receiving high frequency responses for theinventory system. Because the tags 175 may share a fixed frequency withother devices, such as PEPS key fobs 160, the antennas 145, 170 must bemanaged so that they listen and transmit at specific times and intervalsto avoid interference of the tags 175 with the existing PEPS, TPMS, andRKE systems. That is, a high frequency response from a tag 175 may notoverlap with a high frequency response from a PEPS key fob 160. Both thetags 175 and the PEPS key fobs 160 may listen for low frequencychallenges from the antennas 170. However, each will only respond via ahigh frequency response to a respective challenge (e.g., a tag will onlyrespond to a tag challenge and a key fob 160 may only respond to a PEPSor approach detection challenge.) A challenge identification,hereinafter referred to as a challenge ID, may be embedded in each lowfrequency challenge. This challenge ID may indicate whether thechallenge is a tag challenge, a PEPS challenge (for passive entry orpassive start) or an approach detection challenge (for detection of thearrival of the customer at the vehicle exterior). A receiver and controlfunction software in each of the key fobs 160 and tags 175 maydetermine, based on the challenge ID, whether or not the device shouldrespond to the challenge.

In order to avoid interference between high frequency key fob 160responses and tag responses, the antenna 145 may only listen for tagresponses after the window for key fob 160 responses concludes. Bycoordinating the response times for high frequency responses from thedevices, the risk of collisions between the various responses may bereduced, if not eliminated.

High frequency responses may be transmitted from other systems within avehicle besides PEPS systems and inventory systems. For example, tirepressure monitoring systems (TPMS), RKE protocols, WMAP ultra highfrequency protocols, and PEPS ultra-high frequency protocols, may alltransmit signals intended to be received via the shared antenna 145.These are outlined in detail below with respect to FIGS. 10A-E. Some ofthese ultra-high frequency signals cannot be controlled by thecontroller 150. For example, commands initiated by the key fob, such aslock, unlock, panic, open trunk, etc., In another example, the TPMStransmitters may act independently of any commands transmitted by thecontroller 150. The TPMS may also implement frequency-shift keying(FSK). When the TPMS enters into an FSK ultra high frequency prioritymode, any tag challenges may only transmitted when the vehicle 105 istraveling under roughly 8 kilometers per hour unless the tags arecapable of transmitting in FSK or audio-shift keying (ASK). In additionto transmitted signals from devices associated with the vehicle, signalsfrom outside the vehicle system may also cause some interference. In oneexample, high frequency responses from other key fobs 160 associatedwith other vehicles may be received at the antenna. Additionally, lowfrequency challenges from other vehicle approach detection systems mayalso cause interference.

However, by coordinating the response and transmission times for thevarious vehicle systems (e.g., inventory system, PEPS system, etc.,) aprotocol may be developed to mitigate or eliminate interference of highfrequency responses between the systems. This protocol may specify thatwhile using a common protocol, the low frequency challenges and the highfrequency responses may be different for each of the PEPS system,approach detection system, and inventory system. Each device (e.g., thekey fob 160 and tag 175) may listen for low frequency challenges. Thechallenges associated with each of the PEPS, approach detection and tagsystems may include different challenge IDs and message instructions. Areceiver within the tag 175 may not wake a tag microprocessor unless thechallenge is a tag challenge. That is, any PEPS or approach detectionchallenges for normal PEPS or detection scanning will not affect the tag175.

In the event that a PEPS or detection challenge is transmitted while atag challenge is being processed by the tag 175, the tag 175 may thenabort processing the tag challenge so as to allow other devices torespond to the PEPS or detection challenge. For example, if the tagmicroprocessor is processing a tag challenge, but in the meantimeanother low frequency challenge has been transmitted for a PEPS device,the tag 175 may cease the processing of the tag challenge to allow thePEPS device to respond to the PEPS challenge. In this example, anadvisory to cease processing may be transmitted from the chip to the tagmicroprocessor. That is, while the tag challenge is processed, the chipmay be capable of hearing other low frequency challenges and submit anadvisory to the microprocessor of the tag in the event another challengeis heard. By ceasing the processing of the tag challenge, the tag 175may not respond to the tag challenge and avoid any interference withother responses from the non-tag challenge. In a specific example, if anapproach detection challenge is heard by the chip, the chip may suspendprocessing of a tag challenge for 150 milliseconds. This processingdelay may allow enough time for the PEPS high frequency response to betransmitted in response to the approach detection challenge.Additionally or alternatively, a tag challenge shall not wake amicroprocessor in the key fob 160. Further, the high frequency responsesof each of the key fobs 160 and tags shall not affect one another.

Referring again to FIG. 10, various radio frequency protocols forvehicle systems are shown. FIG. 10A shows an exemplary protocol for aTPMS where thirteen (13), 8 ms messages are transmitted every 52.5 msover approximately a 734 ms period. FIG. 10B shows an RKE protocol. Thisprotocol is used to transmit messages upon command from the key fob 160using key fob buttons (e.g., unlock, lock, panic, etc.). These messagesare transmitted after an initial wake up every 50 ms for 238 μs every200 ms. The passive entry high frequency protocol, as shown in FIG. 10C,may transmit low frequency challenges and in response receive highfrequency messages of approximately 13.3 ms spaced every 1-2 ms within a73 ms period. A welcome approach detection protocol, as shown in FIG.10D, may transmit a detection challenge and in response receive up tofive (5) high frequency responses of approximately 5.83 ms every 1-2 mswithin a 32 ms period. FIG. 10D shows a 150 ms listening period for PEPSand detection high frequency responses followed by a 450 ms listenperiod for TMPS and RKE responses.

FIG. 11 shows exemplary intervals for receiving high frequency responsesfor the inventory system at the antenna 145 in order to mitigate oreliminate interference between the tag responses and key fob responses.Various low frequency challenges may be transmitted by the antenna 170.As explained, these challenges may be specifically directed to key fobactivity (including PEPS challenges and approach detection challenges),and to inventory inquiries (tag challenges). The key fob challenges maynot overlap with the tag challenges, and the key fob responses may notoverlap with the tag responses. To avoid any overlap, the controller 150may instruct the antenna 170 to transmit and listen at various intervalsfor specific types of signals. The antenna 170 may transmit key fobchallenges for a first interval 220. Following these low frequencytransmissions, the antenna 145 may listen for key fob responses. Theseresponses may include information from the key fob 160 to authenticatethe key fob (e.g., to unlock a vehicle door, etc.). The antenna 170 mayalso transmit tag challenges during the second interval 225. After thelistening period for key fob responses has ended, the antenna 145 maythen begin to listen for tag responses during a third interval 230.Thus, while the antenna 145 may listen for a response while transmittinga challenge, the different challenge signals, and the different responsesignals, do not overlap.

To reiterate, a key fob listening period and tag challenge period 225may commence at the end of the key fob challenge period 220. At the endof the tag challenge period 225, the tag listening period 230 maycommence. The key fob listening period and tag challenge period 225 areshown in FIG. 11 as occupying the same period, however, while theseperiods may overlap, they may only overlap for a portion of the period(e.g., the key fob listening period may be shorter or longer than thetag challenge period.)

The intervals may be determined by various keyless entry actions andhuman initiated actions, such as pressing a button on the key fob 160.When an action is detected by the controller 150, the controller 150 maycalculate the expected response period for the key fob responses (i.e.,interval 225). The controller 150 may also calculate the response periodfor the tag responses (i.e., interval 230) based on the key fob responseperiod. The controller 150 may instruct the antenna 170 to transmit tagchallenges after the key fob challenges have been transmitted in orderto ensure that no tag responses are received during the key fob responseperiod. Thus, the controller 150, upon receiving high frequencyresponses from various devices, can determine which system the responseis directed to (e.g., the PEPS system or inventory system) and eliminateany interference by the tags with existing systems.

Once an action is recognized, the antenna 170 may transmit ten (10) ormore low frequency challenges in response to human initiated actions.These actions may occur while a driver approaches a vehicle, during dooropening or closing, during engine start or stop and during breaking orclutching. Because these actions most often occur during theserecognized vehicle activities, the most optimal time to perform aninventory search may be upon the vehicle entering a drive gear or afterthe vehicle is keyed off. Additionally, as explained above, collisionsbetween signals may be created by other sources such as other approachdetection systems of nearby vehicles, inductive chargers, radiobroadcast towers, non-programmed key fobs, etc. To ensure the quality ofthe inventory system is maintained, the controller 150 may control thelistening and transmitting periods based on external actions in additionto key fob actions. This may include repeating an inventorysearch/inquiry in response to these external actions. These externalactions may include a determination that the antenna's signal strengthindicator (SSI) shows continuous ultra-high frequency activity. In thisexample, the controller 150 may instruct the antenna 170 to re-transmitthe tag challenges. Another example of an external action is adetermination that an earlier inventory inquiry violates a rule. Thatis, if a “never present” item is located within the vehicle, the antennamay repeat the tag challenges to verify that the rule has in fact beenviolated. Additionally or alternatively, upon determining that approachdetection is active, the inventory inquiry may be repeated. Mostimportantly, in scenarios where the absence of a tagged item has beennoted and that tag has been specified to be present for the specificvehicle, user, location and environmental conditions, it may bedesirable to repeat the tag search multiple times to be certain the tagis truly absent and that interference was not the reason for the absenceof a high frequency response from the tag.

The tag challenges may be transmitted independent of the state of thevehicle. That is, they may be transmitted whether the vehicle is runningor not. Some inventory searches may be conducted only when the vehicleis in a certain state. For example, tag challenges may only betransmitted when the vehicle is off, or running at speeds below acertain threshold. By preventing the inventory system from transmittingsignals during certain vehicle states, collision between signals ofexisting vehicle systems could be mitigated. In one example, someantennas are configured to switch from ASK to FKS listening mode whenthe vehicle exceeds 8 kph. In this example, the inventory system mayonly perform a search when the vehicle is in RUN at speeds below 9 kph.

The controller 150 may maintain a list of programmed tags. It may alsoreceive the list from the database 140. The number of tags 175programmed to the inventory system may determine the appropriateduration and intervals for the tag listen period. A typical listeningperiod for each tag may be 15 ms. Thus, if twelve tags were programmed,the total listening period would be 180 ms. The controller 150 may groupthe programmed tags in order to shorten the tag listening period toavoid potential collisions with normal key fob and TMPS signals. Forexample, twelve tags may be grouped into three groups of four. Three tagchallenges may be transmitted to search for the tags. Each challenge mayhave a listen time of 15 ms for each programmed tag. Thus, four tags ineach group may result in a 60 ms listening period for each of the threegroups. However, in the event that only three tags were programmed, eachchallenge may only require a listening time to hear the known number oftags in each group. If one tag was programmed per challenge group, thelisten time would be 15 ms per challenge group. Thus, by knowing thatonly three tags were programmed, the listening time or tag responseperiod is only 45 ms rather than listening for 45 ms after each of thethree challenges for a total of 135 ms. By challenging up to four tagsat a time, collisions between high frequency responses may be mitigated.The total combined low frequency challenge time and high frequencyresponse time is less than that consumed by PEPS systems. This allowskey fobs 160 and TPMSs to perform at a normal level. By limiting tagchallenges to groups of four tags, the challenge and response time forthe inventory system could be conducted during the 450 ms listeningperiod of an approach detection system having a 700 ms period.

FIGS. 12A-M and 13A-B show exemplary tag configurations. As explainedabove, each tag may include a microprocessor chip and a receiverconfigured to listen for low frequency challenges. The tag 175 may alsoinclude a transmitter configured to transmit high frequency tagresponses to the vehicle antenna. The receiver and transmitter may be ona top surface of the tag, so as to avoid any interference from the itemwhen transmitting and receiving signals. As explained, themicroprocessor will only be woken if a tag challenge is received by thetag 175. This may aid in prolonging the life of the battery within thetag 175. The battery may be replaceable and should not affect thetransmitter and receiver. The power used by the tag 175 may be slightlyless than that of a traditional key fob since the tag 175 does not needto function at as great of radius as a key fob. Additionally, only onebutton is necessary for tag pairing and testing.

The tag 175 may be tolerant of extreme temperature fluctuations, evenmore so than traditional key fobs 160 because tags may be secured toitems left in a vehicle. In one example, a “BR” class coin battery maybe used to achieve a temperature tolerance between −40 degrees Celsiusand 85 degrees Celsius. The tag may also be tolerant of otherenvironmental surroundings (e.g., tag may be waterproof) The tag 175 mayaccept bands or clip pins to allow it to be attached to various surfacessuch as fabric (e.g., diaper bags, backpacks, travel bags, sportequipment bags, etc.,) hard surfaces (e.g., suitcase, equipment cases,helmets, trailers, etc.,) curved surfaces (e.g., helmets, propane tanks,oxygen tanks, bicycles, etc.,) rough surfaces (e.g., coolers,skateboards, etc.,) fluid related items (e.g., life preservers, scubatanks, fuel tanks, etc.).

The tag 175 may include a visible identification such as a number. Theidentification may be used by the interface to program the tags 175. Forexample, when associating a specific tag with an item, the interface maydisplay the tag's number alongside an icon or photo of the item.

Each tag may include an attachment mechanism configured to attach thetag 175 to an item. The attachment mechanism may take on many forms asindicated in the exemplary tags 175. The attachment mechanism mayinclude a key ring loop, safety pin type mechanism, tie strap, adhesivebacking, wrist-watch type straps, bolt and screw mechanism, hiking clamptype mechanism, etc. FIG. 13A shows an exemplary tag 175 having a firstattachment mechanism 250 and a second attachment mechanism 255. Thefirst attachment mechanism may be a bar configured to hold a wristwatch-like strap for attaching the tag 175 around an item. It may alsoallow zip-ties, key rings, etc., to be used in attaching the tag to anitem. The second attachment mechanism 255 may be a safety pin-typemechanism configured to attach the tag 175 to a fabric surface. FIG. 13Bis another exemplary tag 175 having another attachment mechanism 260. Ahole 265 may be defined so as to also allow straps, zip ties, etc., tobe used for attachment. The attachment mechanism 260 may include athreaded hole to allow the tag 175 to be screwed to a surface. Each tag175 may include multiple attachment mechanisms.

Accordingly, by using existing components of a PEPS system, theinventory system does not need to use an expensive broad spectrum highpower tag search transmitter reader. Thus, the entry costs of thedescribed system are much lower than systems that use such high powerreaders. Further, as described above, the system may be used both forcommercial and non-commercial use and in any type of vehicle (e.g.,sedan, cross-over, sport utility vehicle, pick-up truck, van,semi-truck, etc.). The proposed PEPS base tag system can concurrentlymeet the needs of a business and a family, thus giving a user dualfunctionality. In one example, business owner may track his or her toolsused for their business. The same business owner could track personalitems throughout the day such as his or her child's backpack.

The low frequency power levels used by the tags to communicate with theantennas are the same power levels used for PEPS and thus have beenestablished safe for vehicle cabin use for adults and children. Thesepower levels are also free from OEM equipment interference. Further, thesystem may be implemented with very low material costs. In one example,a system with eight (8) tags may be under one hundred (100) dollars foraftermarket implementation. This is, in part, based on the ability toimplement the system use existing vehicle architecture pieces such asPEPS key fobs, antennas, receivers and displays. Further, most vehiclesmay be configured with the system on an aftermarket basis with theaddition of instructions and additional RFID tags. In some situationsadditional antennas may need to be added (e.g., extra antenna for thecargo bed of a truck). Additionally, the tagged items, rules lists,users IDs and other personalization information may be stored in theserver and database to allow customers to easily download theinformation from their old car to a new car when they change leases orpurchase a new vehicle. Further, if a car rental agency has vehicleswith such a system, users may be able to download their tracking listsand rules to track tagged items (they may be taken with them on vacationor a business trip) in their rental vehicle.

Further, an easy to use inventory system may allow for various inventorychecks which may be initiated by any one of several events such as adriver specific event, location event and object event. These rules mayensure that important items are included in the vehicle while ensuringthat potentially dangerous or forbidden items are excluded. Theinterface of the inventory system 100 may also permit several users toeasily create rules and track items at locations separate from thevehicle. That is, driver A in vehicle A may be able to track andidentify items in vehicle B. Further, driver B may be able to remotelyedit the rule for driver A from his or her user device 115. The rulesmay be associated with a specific route between two locations orgeofence zones.

Moreover, because the inventory system may be added on in theaftermarket using existing components, the signals used to detect tagswithin a vehicle may potentially interfere with existing vehiclesystems. In order to mitigate any signal collisions, the inventorysystem may instruct the antenna to transmit and listen at certainintervals to avoid collisions. That is, the listening period for tagresponse may not overlap with the listening period for other highfrequency responses such as key fob responses.

Computing devices, such as the controller 150, generally includecomputer-executable instructions, where the instructions may beexecutable by one or more computing devices such as those listed above.Computer-executable instructions may be compiled or interpreted fromcomputer programs created using a variety of programming languagesand/or technologies, including, without limitation, and either alone orin combination, Java™, C, C++, Visual Basic, Java Script, Perl, etc. Ingeneral, a processor (e.g., a microprocessor) receives instructions,e.g., from a memory, a computer-readable medium, etc., and executesthese instructions, thereby performing one or more processes, includingone or more of the processes described herein. Such instructions andother data may be stored and transmitted using a variety ofcomputer-readable media.

A computer-readable medium (also referred to as a processor-readablemedium) includes any non-transitory (e.g., tangible) medium thatparticipates in providing data (e.g., instructions) that may be read bya computer (e.g., by a processor of a computer). Such a medium may takemany forms, including, but not limited to, non-volatile media andvolatile media. Non-volatile media may include, for example, optical ormagnetic disks and other persistent memory. Volatile media may include,for example, dynamic random access memory (DRAM), which typicallyconstitutes a main memory. Such instructions may be transmitted by oneor more transmission media, including coaxial cables, copper wire andfiber optics, including the wires that comprise a system bus coupled toa processor of a computer. Common forms of computer-readable mediainclude, for example, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, hard disk,magnetic tape, any other magnetic medium, a CD-ROM, DVD, any otheroptical medium, a RAM, a PROM, an EPROM, a FLASH-EEPROM, any othermemory chip or cartridge, or any other medium from which a computer canread.

Databases, data repositories or other data stores described herein mayinclude various kinds of mechanisms for storing, accessing, andretrieving various kinds of data, including a hierarchical database, aset of files in a file system, an application database in a proprietaryformat, a relational database management system (RDBMS), etc. Each suchdata store is generally included within a computing device employing acomputer operating system such as one of those mentioned above, and areaccessed via a network in any one or more of a variety of manners. Afile system may be accessible from a computer operating system, and mayinclude files stored in various formats. An RDBMS generally employs theStructured Query Language (SQL) in addition to a language for creating,storing, editing, and executing stored procedures, such as the PL/SQLlanguage mentioned above.

In some examples, system elements may be implemented ascomputer-readable instructions (e.g., software) on one or more computingdevices (e.g., servers, personal computers, etc.), stored on computerreadable media associated therewith (e.g., disks, memories, etc.). Acomputer program product may comprise such instructions stored oncomputer readable media for carrying out the functions described herein.

With regard to the processes, systems, methods, heuristics, etc.described herein, it should be understood that, although the steps ofsuch processes, etc. have been described as occurring according to acertain ordered sequence, such processes could be practiced with thedescribed steps performed in an order other than the order describedherein. It further should be understood that certain steps could beperformed simultaneously, that other steps could be added, or thatcertain steps described herein could be omitted. In other words, thedescriptions of processes herein are provided for the purpose ofillustrating certain embodiments, and should in no way be construed soas to limit the claims.

Accordingly, it is to be understood that the above description isintended to be illustrative and not restrictive. Many embodiments andapplications other than the examples provided would be apparent uponreading the above description. The scope should be determined, not withreference to the above description, but should instead be determinedwith reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope ofequivalents to which such claims are entitled. It is anticipated andintended that future developments will occur in the technologiesdiscussed herein, and that the disclosed systems and methods will beincorporated into such future embodiments. In sum, it should beunderstood that the application is capable of modification andvariation.

All terms used in the claims are intended to be given their broadestreasonable constructions and their ordinary meanings as understood bythose knowledgeable in the technologies described herein unless anexplicit indication to the contrary in made herein. In particular, theuse of the words “first,” “second,” etc. may be interchangeable.

What is claimed is:
 1. A vehicle comprising: a passive entry systemconfigured to unlock the vehicle upon authenticating a fob in a vicinityof the vehicle and including at least one antenna within the vehicle;and a controller operably arranged with the at least one antenna andconfigured to cause, in response to a trigger event, the at least oneantenna to transmit at least one challenge at a frequency less than 150kHz, receive a response to the challenge indicative of a tag in thevicinity of the vehicle, and identify an item based on the tag.
 2. Thevehicle of claim 1, wherein the trigger event includes a keyless entryaction recognized by the passive entry system.
 3. The vehicle of claim1, wherein the at least one challenge is transmitted at a frequency ofapproximately 125 kHz and the response has a frequency of at least 200MHz.
 4. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising another antennaattached with a roof of the vehicle and configured to receive responseshaving frequencies of at least 200 MHz.
 5. A vehicle comprising: apassive entry system configured to unlock the vehicle uponauthenticating a fob in a vicinity of the vehicle and including a firstantenna configured to transmit challenges at a frequency less than 150kHz; a second antenna configured to receive responses at a frequencygreater than 200 MHz; and a controller operably arranged with the firstand second antennas and configured to cause the first antenna totransmit a challenge and to receive a response having a frequency of atleast 200 MHz indicative of a tag in the vicinity of a vehicle.
 6. Thevehicle of claim 5, wherein the controller is further configured tocause the first antenna to transmit the challenge in response to atrigger event.
 7. The vehicle of claim 6, wherein the trigger eventincludes a keyless entry action recognized by the passive entry system.8. The vehicle of claim 5, wherein the controller is further configuredto identify an item associated with the tag based on the response.
 9. Avehicle comprising: a passive entry system configured to unlock thevehicle upon authenticating a fob in a vicinity of the vehicle,transmit, in response to a trigger event, at least one challenge signalhaving a frequency less than 150 kHz, receive a response signal to thechallenge signal indicative of a tag in a vicinity of the vehicle, andidentify an item associated with the tag based on the response.
 10. Thevehicle of claim 9, wherein the trigger event includes a keyless entryaction recognized by the passive entry system.
 11. The vehicle of claim9 wherein the response signal has a frequency of at least 200 MHz. 12.The vehicle of claim 9, wherein the passive entry system includes atleast one antenna attached with a roof of the vehicle and configured toreceive response signals having a frequency greater than 200 MHz.